Blood Magic ✦ George Weasley ✓

26 - Putting The Fun In Funeral

musical mood: first love/late spring - mitski

After downright refusing to speak to the twins, and taking full advantage of Malfoy's sudden devotion towards her, she had him get her a pile of books from the library, and spent the next few hours of her time in the hospital wing, absorbed in a muggle book on the Saxon kings of England. She wasn't sure why the Hogwarts library had it, but she'd learned by now not to question the castle.

It was nearing curfew, when the door to the hospital wing, and in ran a frantic Cedric Diggory, holding a limp body in his arms.

"Mr. Diggory? What is it?" Pomfrey, who was at her desk, shot up at the same time as Cass, running over to him. When her eyes hit the motionless boy in Cedric's arms, she paled. "Oh no, oh God no, not another..."

"I found him in the boy's lavatory, by the sinks." Cedric explained, trembling from head to toe. Pomfrey lifted the boy with a whip of her wand, setting him down on a bed nearest to the curtains, and furthest from Cass. "I-I don't know who this is, I'm sorry."

"No matter. Did you see anyone nearby?"

Cedric shook his head. "No, there was no one. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologise, dear." Pomfrey said, and while she was obviously sincere, her mind was elsewhere.

She moved to bring the boy's bed behind the curtains where the other victims were, and Cass finally stood up from the bed, peering over the healer's shoulder, and her heart dropping at the sight. It was impossible not to recognize him, between his dark skin, curly hair, and distinct look of confusion on his permanently frozen face.

They'd got Terry.

Just as soon as she'd stood up, she fell back down, landing on the bed as her legs gave out, her head spinning. Not again. Fuck, not again. Not Terry. She'd just spoken to him that day, how could he have gone from helping her, to petrified, in just a matter of hours?

The same that had been said about Ana applied to Terry - he hadn't done anything to hurt anyone. Out of everyone, out of all the Ravenclaws, all the muggleborns, he certainly didn't deserve this. Neither did Ana, or Colin, or the others that the heir of Slytherin had so mercilessly targeted.

It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

"You alright, Cass?" Cedric seemed to notice her mental anguish, and stepped over towards her. He wore an expression of shock, clearly finding Terry Boot petrified in the men's restroom wasn't how he planned to spend his evening.

He sat down at the side of her bed, resting his hands on the edge.

She shrugged, saying nothing. Usually, she would've lied, told him she was alright - it was the polite thing to do when someone you weren't close to asked that question, but she didn't have the energy. She didn't even have the energy to be elated that Cedric was talking to her, even though her heart rate did pick up.

"What happened to your arm?" He motioned towards her bandaged up right arm when she didn't respond.

"I got attacked by a plant in Herbology." Her deadpan voice shifted as she cracked a smile, thinking about the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"A...plant?" Cedric blinked. "What plant?"

"Anima Iudicium. It's supposed to attack dark creatures and dark magic and whatever, but it went after me. Bloody idiot. The plant, not you!" She interjected hastily, and he raised his eyebrows.